Green Mole Chicken Recipe (Zacatecas-Style)

This green mole chicken from Zacatecas is tasty and nutritious! A flavorful green sauce is slathered over tender, succulent chicken.

This incredibly bright dish is made with fresh tomatillos, cilantro, and jalapenos.

Why Is This Recipe So Delicious?

• It’s bursting with delectable, fresh flavor! This dish’s excellent flavor comes from plenty of fresh cilantro and entire tomatillos. To make this a restaurant-quality dish, herbs and vegetables are perfectly accented by a chosen blend of spices.
• The chicken has been cooked to perfection! To begin, we boil the chicken in a mixture of herbs and spices. The chicken is then immersed in a wonderful green mole sauce, soaking up every last drop of its tempting taste.
• It’s a huge hit with the crowd! This wonderful chicken meal has just the proper amount of heat for everyone. You may even change the level of spice to better fit the tastes of your friends and family.

Important Ingredients

Fresh cilantro is used liberally throughout this Zacatecas-inspired recipe. Wash the cilantro thoroughly under cold water before using it in this dish. Because this brilliant green herb has a gritty texture, it should be thoroughly rinsed before eating. Remove only the stems after washing to use in the chicken section of the recipe. Then pluck the leaves to add to the sauce and as a garnish for the finished dish!

Whole Tomatillos — The green mole sauce in this chicken recipe is made up entirely of whole tomatillos. Tomatillos are bright green vegetable that looks like miniature tomato and is commonly used in Mexican cookery.

They’re wrapped in a husk that needs to be removed before cooking. To prepare tomatillos for this recipe, remove the husk and rinse them thoroughly.

After cleaning, quarter each tomatillo and cook them in a saucepan with diced jalapenos to give them a pleasantly smoky flavor.

Flour Tortillas – Flour tortillas are used not only to serve this green mole chicken but also to blend the sauce. Start by toasting two flour tortillas, which I do by placing them under the broiler for 1-2 minutes until golden brown.

Once toasted, combine them with the other mole sauce ingredients in a blender. Toasted flour tortillas, while not required, make the sauce richer, thicker, and creamier.

Chef’s Advice

• Remember to set aside four cups of the cooking liquid from the chicken! Later in the recipe, this liquid will become a crucial component of the sauce. It’s jam-packed with flavor and elevates the entire meal.
• Refrigerate leftover green mole chicken for up to four days in an airtight container. Simply transfer to an oven-safe dish and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until warm throughout, at 350° Fahrenheit.
• Serve this Zacatecas-style supper in whatever way you like! My favorite way to eat it is with rice and warm wheat tortillas. Rice and tortillas are ideal for soaking up any remaining sauce — delicious!

Green Mole Chicken

With perfectly seasoned and delicate chicken, a bright, brilliantly flavorful green mole stuffed full of garlic, cilantro, and tomatillos.

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 1 cup chopped cilantro stems
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 4 whole chicken legs drumstick plus thigh
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 2 garlic cloves smashed
• 1 large white onion chopped
• 12 cups water
• 1 bay leaf

For the Mole

• 6 whole tomatillos peeled, rinsed, and chopped
• 2 jalapeños stemmed and chopped
• ½ cup fresh cilantro
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 garlic cloves chopped
• 2 8-inch flour tortillas toasted
• 3 tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral oil

For Serving

• fresh cilantro
• toasted flour tortillas
• rice

Equipment

• 6-quart saucepan
• Fine mesh strainer
• 4-quart saucepan

Instructions For Green Mole Chicken

1. Bring all of the chicken ingredients to a boil in a big pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked.
2. Remove the chicken from the pot and pour the cooking liquid through a mesh strainer, reserving 4 cups of the liquid. Set aside the chicken and liquid.
3. To make the mole, place tomatillos and jalapenos in a medium pot and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until blackened. Combine the cilantro, salt, garlic, toasted tortillas, and one cup of the saved cooking liquid in a blender and blend until smooth.
4. In the same saucepan, heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat before adding the tomatillo sauce and cooking, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until a thick paste develops. Bring the remaining 3 cups of cooking liquid to a boil in the sauce, then reduce to a low heat. Cook, stirring periodically, for 30 minutes, or until reduced and thickened.
5. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is well heated, about 10 minutes. Serve with more fresh cilantro, toasted tortillas, or rice while still warm.

Notes

• Serve with warm tortillas, boiled rice, and fresh cilantro!

This recipe serves around 4 people. Your desired portion sizes will determine the number of servings.

The nutritional values indicated are for a single serving of the items specified, not including tortillas or rice. The exact macros will vary depending on the brands and types of ingredients utilized.

Prepare the recipe as directed to get the weight of one serving. Weigh the final recipe, then divide the weight (not including the weight of the container in which the food is stored) by four. The weight of one serving will be the result.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 457kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 17g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 120mg, Sodium: 3159mg, Potassium: 555mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 666IU, Vitamin C: 20mg, Calcium: 80mg, Iron: 2mg, Net Carbs: 14g